


Thorny Forest

by MageOfTheLufaines



Category: Tales of Berseria, Tales of Series
Genre: Alcohol, Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Angst, Mild Spoilers, Sharing alcohol, Sworn Brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 10:44:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12769368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfTheLufaines/pseuds/MageOfTheLufaines
Summary: Eizen and Rokurou have one of their many nights sharing drinks together, and yet by the end of it they become more than just friends.





	Thorny Forest

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still trying to figure out why Eizen/Rokurou is such a rarepair. I really loved their scene at the beginning of the game where they share drinks and, because I've played way too much Yakuza lately, realised the importance of sharing a drink in Japanese culture. 
> 
> This is self indulgent as heck and also my first venture into writing either of them let me know your opinions!!

Whiskey always tasted better in the company of people, it was something Eizen had discovered during his many years on the open seas. He fondly remembered the nights spent drinking merrily with his crew, a gift from Aifread if they'd done particularly well on a haul. The drink would always taste sweeter compared to the moments when, left alone, Eizen would drink as he tried not to think about the life with Edna he'd left behind. Since Aifread had disappeared, the crew didn't spend as much time drinking together as usual, but somehow he'd acquired a drinking partner all the same. 

"You're awfully quiet tonight, what's eating at ya?" Rokurou asked from across the small table in Eizen's quarters, legs propped up on it as he took a drink of his sake. Eizen had given up counting the times he'd told Rokurou to put his legs down, had even given up trying to stop him. It was charming, in one of Rokurou's many odd ways. 

"Just reminiscing, it's an old man thing," Eizen replied, noticing the way Rokurou's lips quirked up at the corners. 

"Well damn, if I start getting like that when I'm older I'll probably have to retire!" 

"You? Retire? Hah, are you drunk already Rokurou?" Eizen laughed a little, taking a swig of whiskey from his glass. 

"Not even close. You got anything stronger in your stash?" Rokurou asked, taking his feet off the table to lean on his elbows, giving Eizen an expectant look. 

"I might do but why should I let you have it?" Eizen teased, leaning back on his chair and smirking at Rokurou as he gave him his best rendition of puppy dog eyes. 

"Because you love me?"

"Putting words into my mouth, are you?" Eizen raised an eyebrow, though his tone of voice was still light and teasing. An effect of the alcohol that only his crew and Rokurou got to see. 

"Ouch, that stings Eizen." Rokurou placed a hand over his heart and feigned look hurt, though the expression changed back into his normal grin a few seconds later. 

Eizen smirked as he stood up, noticing the eager expression on Rokurou's face. "I'm the Reaper, since when was I supposed to be nice?" 

Rokurou's response was to simply laugh and pour two cups of sake, sliding one across the table before helping himself to a swig of Eizen's whiskey, straight from the bottle. The indirect kiss from that action alone made a strange feeling well inside Eizen's chest, one he quickly quelled down as he rummaged around in his cupboard for a certain bottle of alcohol. He'd kissed Rokurou many times before, had let the man get dangerously close to him when he knew he should have kept him away. There was just something about Rokurou that drew Eizen in, and before he really knew it he'd grown attached to having the daemon by his side. 

"You know Eizen," Rokurou began, breaking Eizen out of his thoughts as he wandered back over with the new bottle of drink in hand. "In my clan there's a custom between us where sharing a drink is a sign of brotherhood." 

"You mean like a familial tie to someone? Are you implying you view me as family? If so, I'd be worried," Eizen replied as he sat back down, pouring out his new drink. It was one that Rokurou had commented on wishing he could taste a long time. It'd taken a lot of secret tracking to finally find a bottle, and he'd almost used up his entire funding to get it. 

"No! I mean… more like sworn brothers. Someone you'll protect no matter what happens- wait, Eizen what is that?" Rokurou cut himself off to stare at the bottle he'd placed on the table. 

"Well, I remember you saying how you'd like to taste this particular drink someday. It was no easy feat acquiring it, that's for sure," Eizen explained as he finished the cup of sake he'd been given before opening up the bottle. An earthy, yet slightly berry-like aroma wafted into the air as he poured the blue liquid into two glasses. It was almost identical in consistency to Eizen's whiskey. 

"Isn't this…" Rokurou trailed off as he picked up the glass, inspecting it as if it were some kind of poison. 

"Thorny Forest, yes. I… I thought it'd be nice to share with you at least once. I've spent all these years alive and haven't even been able to try it myself," Eizen told him, averting his gaze from Rokurou's oddly sincere one. 

Rokurou brought the glass up to scrutinise it some more before giving Eizen a soft, almost gentle smile. It was unlike any smile Rokurou had given him before, and Eizen felt his chest constrict with a strange feeling he wasn't sure he was ready to explain. 

"Didn't Magilou say you drank this with someone when you plan to marry for life?" Rokurou asked, his words teasing but his tone of voice sincere. The feeling in Eizen's chest only worsened, and it was obvious that his cheeks were starting to heat with colour. 

"I have a feeling you don't care much about marriage. And neither do I," Eizen commented, thumbing at the rim of his glass slowly. 

Rokurou was uncharacteristically silent for a while, just staring into the liquid as if somehow deep within its depths held the answer to all his questions, whether it was finding the strength to defeat Shigure, or something a lot more mundane. 

"I did just explain how my clan has our own ritual," Rokurou finally spoke up, though his voice was a lot quieter than usual, as if he didn't want anyone else to listen in on this conversation. Eizen found himself agreeing, not wanting anyone to interrupt this moment of theirs. 

Eizen's gaze flickered up to Rokurou, his mouth suddenly feeling a lot drier than it had done a few seconds ago when the two men locked gazes. Rokurou's eyes were gentle, the harsh red glare of his daemon eye subdued in that moment. It felt as if time around them had slowed to a mere crawl as soon as their eyes had met. He'd encountered artes designed to slow the passage of time, but this was something else entirely. 

"When two people want to become sworn brethren, they drink the same sake from the same cup. They would usually be supervised by the head of the clan, who would then officiate the ceremony. You'd swear an oath that, no matter what happened, you would stay loyal to each other."

"Did you ever do this with any other Rangetsu clan members?" Eizen asked, a small part of him hoping he hadn't. 

"Nah. I was thinking about it until that rumour about Shigure rose up. You know the rest…"

Eizen did indeed know the rest, had listened to Rokurou explain the very reason why he'd become a daemon in the first place, the malevolence inside of him at failing to kill his own brother when ordered causing him to turn. It was a somewhat sad tale but, like how Eizen had accepted his curse as a part of him, Rokurou had accepted being a daemon. There was something admirable about Rokurou's attitude towards his new daemon self.

"Hey, Eizen?" Rokurou asked, bringing Eizen's attention back to him. He gave a quiet noise of questioning, tilting his head a little. "Would you… Would you like to do the ritual with me?" 

Eizen's eyes widened a little in shock, trying to process the words Rokurou had just said to him. Rokurou wanted him to do a ritual that was special to his clan alone. Rokurou wanted them to become sworn brothers… He briefly wondered if this was some kind of strange dream, before remembering that his dreams tended to veer into the realm of nightmares more often than not. 

"You know what you're getting yourself into? My curse could rear its ugly head at any time, making either of us unable to do what a sworn brother should do," Eizen warned him, not wanting Rokurou to rush head first into something he wasn't prepared for. He had a habit of doing that. 

"If I didn't want this, I wouldn't have asked. Eizen you're… You're special to me. Even if you can be a bit of an ass sometimes," Rokurou replied, grinning a little at Eizen's reaction to calling him an ass. Typical Rokurou style. 

"I guess I can say the same about you then, Rokurou. Can't believe I've managed to connect with another group of people beside's the crew. And that includes a war daemon who might also be a bit of an ass." 

Rokurou laughed at that comment, winking at Eizen playfully. "Guess that makes us a perfect fit." 

Eizen nodded, his lips twitching upwards. "Guess so. You won't be able to get rid of me now." 

"Wouldn't want to. Who else will I drink with? Magilou?" 

A chuckle left Eizen's mouth as he picked his glass up, holding it out to Rokurou. "Are there any specific words that I need to say or something?" 

"Nope, let me handle all the fancy mumbo-jumbo. All you gotta do is swear an oath when I do. And then we drink."

Eizen figured that was easy enough and so nodded, listening intently as Rokurou started to speak in his native language. He heard him utter it before, in moments when Rokurou would be training in their shared room at the various inns they'd stayed at. He'd figured he'd been counting in those moments, though he didn't always fully pay attention, sometimes distracted by the move of his muscles at each swing of his wooden blade. 

Now though, what Rokurou was saying sounded oddly like a prayer. He wondered if the Rangetsu had a similar belief system to somewhere like Loegres, but he began to doubt it. They already seemed like a vastly different style of people, especially if sharing alcohol had such a meaningful connection. He wondered if that's why Rokurou had kept coming back to share time alone with Eizen. He wasn't always the friendliest guy to be around, and yet Rokurou didn't seem to want to leave him be. And Eizen found the more time they'd spent drinking together, the more he'd grown to like Rokurou. It was why he'd caved in and let Rokurou kiss him, he'd even let Rokurou into his bed. 

Those were two things he'd never have done with any person, and yet Rokurou had an air about him that Eizen was attracted to. It made it harder and harder to push Rokurou away, from their playful banter to their more serious moments together. Eizen wasn't sure if what he felt towards Rokurou was as strong as love, but it was damn near close to it, and he wasn't sure if that frightened or exhilarated him. 

"Eizen?"Once again Rokurou's voice drew him out of his thoughts and when he met his gaze it was completely serious. Rokurou wasn't joking about this time.   
"Do you want to become my sworn brother?" 

"I do."

"Do you swear an oath that, no matter what, you will stay loyal to me?"

Eizen paused for a moment, wondering if this was the right thing to do. But then he looked at Rokurou's gaze, remembered everything up until now that the two of them had been through, together and as part of the group, and he realised that he wouldn't regret this decision. 

"I swear that I will be loyal to you until the day we die." 

For Rokurou that seemed to be enough and he clinked their glasses together before downing his alcohol in one gulp. Eizen followed soon after, the taste of the alcohol much like the scent. It slid perfectly down his throat, and it seemed to warm him up inside, even if the drink itself was cold. 

"Hoo boy that stuff's good! No wonder it's so hard to get by," Rokurou commented, his usual cheerful demeanour back again. 

Without a word, Eizen stood up, noticing Rokurou's look of surprise. He wandered over before settling himself right in Rokurou's lap, smirking a little at his reddened cheeks as he pressed their lips together. The taste of the alcohol was subtle until Rokurou grabbed him by the back of the neck and deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue into Eizen's mouth. Eizen moaned softly, hands carding through Rokurou's long and messy hair, knowing he wouldn't care about it being messed up some more. 

"Don't think I'd been able to do that with the Rangetsu clan members if we ever became sworn brethren," Rokurou commented as they pulled away, chuckling a little. 

Eizen smirked down at him, running a thumb across the edges of his markings. "How do you say sworn brother in your language?" 

Rokurou looked surprised that Eizen wanted to know such a thing, his expression softening soon after. "Kyoudai."

"Hm, kyoudai…. I like the sound of that." 

Eizen had a feeling that, for once in his life, he'd made the right choice.


End file.
